The past month or so in southern Alberta has been something to see. The flooding that Calgary and the surrounding area experienced was truly astounding and has left a mark. The vast majority of us have never seen something quite like this first hand before. I am sure by now many of you have heard or read numerous comments about what has gone on in the face of such adversity, but I did want to share a couple of stories and things I have noticed.
The raw power of nature is amazing. I think sometimes I forget just how much force our environment carries within it; it is good to remember this.
The ways in which people have come together has also been truly amazing. I have heard on a number of occasions that a person’s true character comes out under stress. If this is true, there is a remarkable amount of character in our part of the world. I have heard stories of looting, vandalism, and other examples of people taking advantage of the situation. It is sad to hear this. But I have heard significantly more stories of generosity and personal sacrifice. In countless instances people did whatever needed to be done to address the situation at hand. There are many stories, but let me highlight a couple that particularly caught my attention.
The fact that the Calgary Stampede went on pretty much business as usual was remarkable.
A friend’s mom lives in High River and we were helping her clean out her home. There was a considerable amount of mud that had gathered in her drive way which made the cleaning all the more difficult. A man came over with his front end loader and offered to clear her drive way and then worked his way down the condo complex clearing a number of other driveways.
And normal obstacles or social conventions have been set aside rather easily. Immediately after the initial flooding, upon request, the City of Edmonton sent 75-80 police officers to help, most of who were on holidays or days off at the time. Those of us who grew up or now live in this part of the world are familiar with the rivalry between Edmonton and Calgary, but that was not part of this discussion. And I would think that under normal circumstances such a loan of personnel would need to move through some bureaucratic processes in order to happen, but again, they were dealt with.
Many of you have heard me say that I truly believe that a group of motivated people working together can accomplish a great deal more than the most talented people working independently. I do not want to make light of or trivialize the circumstances, but what has gone on over this past few weeks has been a tremendous example of teamwork.
I realize that a crisis can be special motivation to work in ways we normally would not. Some things just have to get done because they have too. But would it not be beneficial if we our teams could exemplify these qualities when there isn’t a crisis? Would not a generous, ‘do what needs to be done’, kind of attitude serve us most of the time? I am not suggesting that we always operate in crisis mode or as if there are not protocols or processes that need to be paid attention to. I am thinking though that this kind of ‘what can I do to help?’ spirit makes team work much more affective, and so much more enjoyable to be a part of.
The reality that must also be acknowledged is that there is still a great deal of work to do for many people. The initial offers of help and generosity have been great, but things are far from over. If you can still find a day or two to help over the coming months, I am sure it would be appreciated. And for any of you personally affected by the flooding, I hope you find a way to re-establish some normalcy in your lives.
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It Has Been Something To See
The raw power of nature is amazing. I think sometimes I forget just how much force our environment carries within it; it is good to remember this.
The ways in which people have come together has also been truly amazing. I have heard on a number of occasions that a person’s true character comes out under stress. If this is true, there is a remarkable amount of character in our part of the world. I have heard stories of looting, vandalism, and other examples of people taking advantage of the situation. It is sad to hear this. But I have heard significantly more stories of generosity and personal sacrifice. In countless instances people did whatever needed to be done to address the situation at hand. There are many stories, but let me highlight a couple that particularly caught my attention.
The fact that the Calgary Stampede went on pretty much business as usual was remarkable.
A friend’s mom lives in High River and we were helping her clean out her home. There was a considerable amount of mud that had gathered in her drive way which made the cleaning all the more difficult. A man came over with his front end loader and offered to clear her drive way and then worked his way down the condo complex clearing a number of other driveways.
And normal obstacles or social conventions have been set aside rather easily. Immediately after the initial flooding, upon request, the City of Edmonton sent 75-80 police officers to help, most of who were on holidays or days off at the time. Those of us who grew up or now live in this part of the world are familiar with the rivalry between Edmonton and Calgary, but that was not part of this discussion. And I would think that under normal circumstances such a loan of personnel would need to move through some bureaucratic processes in order to happen, but again, they were dealt with.
Many of you have heard me say that I truly believe that a group of motivated people working together can accomplish a great deal more than the most talented people working independently. I do not want to make light of or trivialize the circumstances, but what has gone on over this past few weeks has been a tremendous example of teamwork.
I realize that a crisis can be special motivation to work in ways we normally would not. Some things just have to get done because they have too. But would it not be beneficial if we our teams could exemplify these qualities when there isn’t a crisis? Would not a generous, ‘do what needs to be done’, kind of attitude serve us most of the time? I am not suggesting that we always operate in crisis mode or as if there are not protocols or processes that need to be paid attention to. I am thinking though that this kind of ‘what can I do to help?’ spirit makes team work much more affective, and so much more enjoyable to be a part of.
The reality that must also be acknowledged is that there is still a great deal of work to do for many people. The initial offers of help and generosity have been great, but things are far from over. If you can still find a day or two to help over the coming months, I am sure it would be appreciated. And for any of you personally affected by the flooding, I hope you find a way to re-establish some normalcy in your lives.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 7th, 2013 at 9:07 am and is filed under Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.